View source for Moskva-class helicopter carrier

{{Short description|Soviet helicopter carrier class}}
{{about|helicopter carriers|the Moskva missile cruiser|Slava-class cruiser|other classes|Moskva class}}
{{redirect|Soviet helicopter carrier Kiev|the fixed-wing carrier|Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev|other ships|Kiev (ship)}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=January 2013}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:DoD-Leningrad-DN-ST-90-07636 50pct.jpg|300px|''Leningrad'' underway in 1990.]]
|Ship caption=''Leningrad'' underway in 1990.
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Moskva'' class
|Builders=
|Operators=*{{navy|Soviet Union}}
* {{navy|Russia|1992}}
|Class before=
|Class after= *[[Merkuryy Delfin]]
*{{sclass2|Khalzan|helicopter carrier|4}}
*{{sclass|Kiev|aircraft carrier|4}}
|Subclasses=[[Project 11780]] 
|Cost=
|Built range=1962–1969
|In service range=1967–1996
|In commission range= 
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=3-12<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalcoldwarexhibition.org/research/collections/moskva-class/|title = StackPath}}</ref>
|Total ships completed= 2
|Total ships cancelled= 1
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired= 2
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/warships/project_1123.htm|title=Project 1123 Kondor|website=russianships.info|access-date=22 July 2020}}</ref>
|Ship type=[[Helicopter cruiser]]
|Ship displacement=*11,920&nbsp;tons standard
* 15,280&nbsp;tons full load
|Ship length={{convert|189|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|34|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|7.7|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=2 × 45000 hp TV-12 steam turbines, 2 × fixed pitch propellers, 2 × 1500 kW TD-1500 turbine-type generators, 2 × 1500 kW diesel-generators
|Ship speed={{convert|28.5|kn|km/h|0}}
|Ship range={{convert|9,000|nmi|km|0}} at {{convert|15|kn|km/h|0}}
|Ship endurance=15 days
|Ship complement=850
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=* MR-600 'Voskhod'/MR-310 'Angara-A' air/surface radar
* 'Don' navigation radar
* 'Gurzuf'/'Gurzuf-1' ESM radar system
* MRP-11-16 'Zaliv' ESM radar system
* 'Kremniy-2M' [[Identification friend or foe|IFF]]
* ARP-50 radio direction finder
* MG-342 'Orion' or MG-325 'Vega' sonar
* MG-26 'Khosta' underwater communication system
* MVU-201 'Koren-1123' combat information control system
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*2 × twin [[M-11 Shtorm|SA-N-3 'Goblet']] surface-to-air missile launchers
* 2 × twin {{convert|57|mm|in|abbr=on}}/80 guns
* 1 × [[SUW-N-1|SUW-N-1 launcher for FRAS-1]] anti-submarine missiles
* 2 × [[RBU-6000]] [[anti-submarine warfare|ASW]] rockets
* 10 × {{convert|553|mm|in|abbr=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s (2 × 5)
* 2 × ZIF-121 rocket launchers (PK-2 decoy)
|Ship armour=
|Ship aircraft=18 × [[Kamov Ka-25]] 'Hormone' or [[Mil Mi-8|Mi-8]] helicopters
|Ship aircraft facilities=[[Hangar#Hangars aboard ships|Hangar deck]]
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The '''''Moskva'' class''', Soviet designation '''Project 1123 ''Kondor''''' ([[condor]]) and ''S-703'' '''Project 1123M Kiev''', was the first class of operational [[helicopter carrier]]s ([[helicopter cruiser]]s in the Soviet classification) built by the [[Soviet Union]] for the [[Soviet Navy]].<ref>Jordan, John, 'Soviet Warships 1945 to Present', Revised & Expanded Edition, {{ISBN|1-85409-117-4}}, Published by Arms & Armour Press (London, UK), 1992</ref>

These ships were laid down at [[Black Sea Shipyard|Nikolayev South (Shipyard No.444)]]. The lead vessel was launched in 1965 and named {{ship|Soviet helicopter carrier|Moskva||2}} ({{langx|ru|Москва||[[Moscow]]}}); she entered service two years later. ''Moskva'' was followed by {{ship|Soviet helicopter carrier|Leningrad||2}} ({{langx|ru|Ленинград||[[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]]}}, which was commissioned in late 1968; there were no further vessels built, reportedly due to the poor handling of the ships in rough seas. Both were conventionally powered.

The ''Moskva''s were not true "aircraft carriers" in that they did not carry any [[fixed-wing aircraft]]; the air wing was composed entirely of [[helicopter]]s. They were designed primarily as [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW) vessels, and her weapons and sensor suite was optimized against the nuclear submarine threat. Their strategic role was to defend the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[ballistic missile submarine]] [[Bastion (naval)|bastions]] against incursions by Western [[attack submarine]]s, forming the flagships of an ASW task force.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Suciu |first=Peter |date=2023-12-23 |title=Moskva-Class: Russia's Aircraft Carrier That Really Isn't An Aircraft Carrier |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/moskva-class-russias-aircraft-carrier-really-isnt-aircraft-carrier-208130 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819234531/https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/moskva-class-russias-aircraft-carrier-really-isnt-aircraft-carrier-208130 |archive-date=2024-08-19 |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=[[The National Interest]] |language=en}}<blockquote>
As a result, the Moskva-class shouldn't be seen as an "aircraft carrier" in the traditional sense, as it wasn't designed to carry any fixed-wing aircraft. Instead its air wing was composed entirely of helicopters. The vessels were also designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role – to counter the NATO Polaris submarines – and to act as flagship for other ASW warships. As such the weapons and sensor suite was fully optimized against a nuclear submarine threat.

Moreover, instead of serving as part of the nation's force projection, the Soviet doctrine called for the warships to serve in a strategic role that included defending the Soviet ballistic missile submarine bastions against incursions by Western attack submarines.
</blockquote></ref>

==Design==

The operational requirement was issued by Admiral [[Sergey Gorshkov]] in 1959. The aim of the ships was to counter [[NATO]] [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris]] submarines and act as a flagship for anti-submarine warfare. Initially it was hoped to operate ten helicopters from an 8000-ton ship. The design evolved into a larger vessel capable of operating up to 14 helicopters with self defence armament.<ref name=":0" />

===Armament===

Shipboard ASW armament included a twin [[SUW-N-1| SUW-N-1 launcher]] capable of delivering a FRAS-1 projectile carrying a {{convert|450|mm|in|adj=on}} torpedo (or a 10 kiloton nuclear warhead); a pair of RBU-6000 ASW mortars; and a set of [[torpedo tube]]s. For self-defence, the ''Moskva''s had two twin [[M-11 Shtorm|SA-N-3]] [[surface-to-air missile]] (SAM) launchers with reloads for a total of 48 surface-to-air missiles, along with two twin {{convert|57|mm|in|abbr=on}} /80 guns.<ref name=":0" />

===Propulsion===

Gas turbines were considered but were as yet untried in such a large vessel. Instead a high pressure steam plant similar to that used by the {{sclass2|Kynda|cruiser}}s was used. The machinery of ''Moskva'' had severe problems and had to be rebuilt in 1973 following a fire. Operational performance was disappointing with a practical maximum speed of {{convert|30|kn}} and {{convert|24|kn|adj=on}} maximum sustainable speed. Sea keeping was also disappointing.

== Ships ==

[[File:38MoskvaoffMoroccoJan1970.jpg|thumb|''Moskva'' off the Moroccan coast in January 1970.]]
[[File:DoD-Leningrad-DN-SN-90-07612 50pct.jpg|thumb|A port-quarter fantail view of ''Leningrad''.]]

Both vessels were part of the [[Black Sea Fleet]]. ''Leningrad'' was retired in 1991 and ''Moskva'' in 1996. ''Leningrad'' was scrapped in 1995 and ''Moskva'' in 1997. A third ship to be named ''Kiev'' was cancelled in 1969, which was to have been an [[anti-surface warfare]] vessel. The ''Moskva'' class was succeeded by the larger {{sclass|Kiev|aircraft carrier|4}}.

{|class="wikitable"
! Name
! Namesake
! Builder
! Laid down
! Launched
! Commissioned
! Fate
|-
|{{ship|Soviet helicopter carrier|Moskva|4=2}}
|[[Moscow|City of Moscow]]
|rowspan=3|[[Black Sea Shipyard|Soviet Shipyard No. 444]], [[Mykolaiv]]
|15 December 1962
|14 January 1965
|25 December 1967
|Broken up at [[Alang]], 1997
|-
|{{ship|Soviet helicopter carrier|Leningrad|4=2}}
|[[St Petersburg|City of Leningrad]]
|15 January 1965
|31 July 1968
|2 June 1969
|Broken up, Greece, 1995
|-
|''Kiev''
|[[Kyiv|City of Kiev]]
|December 1967
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|Cancelled 1969
|}

==See also==
* [[List of ships of the Soviet Navy]]
* [[List of ships of Russia by project number]]

==References==

===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book |editor-last=Gardiner|editor-first=Robert  |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995|year=1995|publisher=Conway Maritime|location=[[London]]|isbn=0-85177-605-1|oclc=34284130}} Also published as {{cite book |last=Gardiner|first=Robert|author2=Chumbley, Stephen |author3=Budzbon, Przemysław|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995|year=1995 |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]]|location=[[Annapolis]], [[Maryland|MD]]|isbn=1-55750-132-7|oclc=34267261}}

==External links==
* [http://russianships.info/eng/warships/project_1123.htm Moskva class - Complete Ship List]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/1123.htm Project 1123 Kondor - ''Moskva'' class on globalsecurity.org]
* {{in lang|ru}} [http://ship.bsu.by/main.asp?id=100022 ''Moskva'' class]

{{Moskva class helicopter carrier}}
{{Soviet and Russian ships after 1945}}

[[Category:Helicopter carrier classes]]
[[Category:Moskva-class helicopter carriers| ]]
[[Category:Cold War aircraft carriers of the Soviet Union|Moskva class helicopter carrier]]